John Hill named as Lincoln’s head men’s basketball coach

John Hill named as Lincoln’s head men’s basketball coach

September 30, 2010

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. –   Lincoln University is pleased to announce John Hill as the new head men's basketball coach. Boasting seven years of Division II head-coaching experience and another 13 seasons as an assistant, Hill has an established ability to build programs into conference and national contenders.

“Coach Hill's coaching experience and philosophy support the mission and priorities of the University necessary for a successful athletics program,” said Lincoln Director of Athletics Dianthia Ford-Kee. “He understands the importance of establishing champions in the classroom and on the court. We look forward to Coach Hill and his staff building a program that our campus, alumni, local community and friends of the University will find entertaining and representative of Lincoln’s tradition of excellence.”

From 1998-2005, Hill served as head coach at two separate CIAA institutions and earned the distinction of being a rigorous recruiter that demanded character both athletically and academically.

As the architect of memorable women's basketball teams at Saint Paul's College, he spearheaded the Lady Tigers development from a 2-22 team in his first year in 1998-99 to one that never dipped below .500, finishing the next year at 15-11 and 2000-2001 at 17-9. In his fourth and final season in Lawrenceville, Va., SPC went 17-11.

Following that successful venture into women's basketball, Hill took the head men's basketball position at Virginia State University for the 2002-2003 season. In a 5-11 inaugural year, the Trojans upset No. 10 Shaw University. Over the next two seasons, VSU went 14-12 and 13-14 for a 32-37 mark during his tenure.

Hill's teams defeated five ranked teams in addition to Shaw including Pfeiffer College (No. 7 nationally) and Queens College (No. 1 in the Northeast Region) in 2004-05. Having found the necessary formula for turning struggling programs into perennial winners while at Saint Paul's and Virginia State, Hill became the ideal candidate for the position at Lincoln. The Lions finished 2009-10 4-22 while completing the transition from NCAA Division III to NCAA Div. II.

“Lincoln University is in an ideal basketball location to recruit from metropolitan areas spanning from New York to Washington D.C. within a two-hour radius” Hill said. “No other CIAA school has that ability.”

Two of Hill’s Saint Paul’s College teams won the CIAA Team Academic Award and one was honored by the NCAA.

“I recognize as a leader, I have an obligation to explore all resources that will enhance the academic achievement of each student-athlete,” he said. “It is vital to generate a program atmosphere that fosters a winning attitude toward graduating and competing successfully in athletics.”

After his stints as a head coach, he returned to the assistant capacity he occupied from 1990-1998 in order to gain additional insights from well-established programs. The last four seasons, he served under Shawn Walker as an assistant coach at Elizabeth City State University, where the Vikings earned bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2007, won the CIAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 2007, and this past year, ECSU finished as runners-up. The teams accumulated a 74-42 record including back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2007 and 2008 while housing three all-conference players. Highlighting the group were three-time CIAA Player of the Year Anthony Hilliard and 2009-10 CIAA Rookie of the Year Angelo Sharpless.

Prior to his time at Elizabeth City State, he spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant at national power California University of Pa. In a 17-11 season, the Vulcans earned a No. 9 ranking in the East Region and the first NCAA bid of Hill's career.

From 1990-1998, he served as an assistant men's basketball coach beginning with his alma mater Greensboro College (1990-92)  before moving on to Bloomfield College (1992-93), Kean University (1993-95) and Winston-Salem State University (1995-1998).